For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker. All politics, all the time.

Making News Today…

Edwards, Obama step up criticisms of Clinton

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) – The night fittingly began with a reference to "Rocky" in his fictional hometown, as the Democratic presidential debate Tuesday night at times took on the feel of a heavyweight fight.Read the rest of this entry>>

Check out the http://cnn.com/ticker and also scroll down in the Political Hot Topics section for more on Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate.

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A new round of union endorsements

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Sen. John Edwards was endorsed Tuesday by the New Hampshire arm of the Service Employees International Union, and an influential national union could announce its own endorsement Wednesday at a news conference in the nation’s capital.

The Service Employees International Union’s local chapter in New Hampshire represents 9,000 local, state and healthcare workers, and its backing gives the North Carolina Democrat a boost in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

Meanwhile, Democrats and political observers will be keeping a close eye on what the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees executive board decides at its meeting here in Washington. An endorsement by AFSCME would be a major “get” for a candidate.

AFSCME represents 1.4 million workers nationwide ranging from librarians to bus drivers, and President Gerald McEntee has vowed to spend $60 million in the 2008 race for the White House. While it is not clear how much of the $60 million AFSCME would spend in the primary, the union does represent 30,000 workers in the all important first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa.

- CNN’s Mark Preston and Katy Byron

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Mukasey stays vague on waterboarding

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Bush's pick for attorney general called the interrogation technique known as waterboarding a "repugnant" practice Tuesday, but again refused to say whether it violates U.S. laws banning torture.Read the rest of this entry>>

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Caucusing 101

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Now that the Nevada Democratic caucus is set to take place on January 19, the state's Democratic Party is putting in place a program to teach rural high school students the art of caucusing. The party has been coordinating with several school districts to form a "non partisan curriculum" guiding high school seniors through the basics of what can be a confusing process.

CNN is partnering with the Nevada Democratic Party for a Democratic National Committee sanctioned presidential debate on November 15. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer will moderate the event that will take place in Las Vegas.Read the rest of this entry>>

- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

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'08ers to ‘trick or treat’

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Even in the heat of campaign season, some presidential hopefuls are taking a break from the trail to celebrate Halloween with their children.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who has spent the week in New Hampshire with his family, will take nine-year-old Emma and seven-year-old Jack out trick-or-treating in Bedford. Emma is dressing up as a fifties girl, while Jack will be the Spartan King Leonitus, the campaign said.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will also go door-to-door collecting candy with his daughters in Chicago.

- CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

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Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich
CNN Washington Bureau

KUCINICH DISCUSSES ALIEN ENCOUNTER: So if there are space aliens, can they register to vote? Perhaps Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is courting their support, discussing a UFO sighting in Tuesday night’s debate. CNN Political Ticker: Kucinich: I saw a UFO

BIDEN DESCRIBES GIULIANI AS "A NOUN AND A VERB AND 9/11": Rudy Giuliani, the front-running Republican candidate for president, had questioned what credentials Hillary Clinton, the front-running Democrat, has to serve as president in the last debate of the Republican candidates. The Swamp: Electing a president: A question of experience

GIULIANI QUESTIONED ON PROSTATE CANCER NUMBERS: In a radio advertisement playing in New Hampshire and in speeches along the campaign trail, Rudolph W. Giuliani has cited statistics to cut at the heart of his Democratic rivals’ health care proposals, which he has derided as European-style "socialist" plans that will lower the standard of care in the United States. New York Times: Giuliani's Prostate Cancer Figure Is Disputed

HUCKABEE "SHOCKED" IF BROWNBACK SUPPORTS GIULIANI: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) has joined the growing chorus of conservatives who say they would be surprised and disappointed if Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) were to endorse ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s (R) bid for the White House. The Hill: Huckabee doubts Rudy will get nod

MCCAIN CHANGES POSITION ON IMMIGRATION POLICY TO APPEAL TO GOP: Sen. John McCain has quietly been piling up flip-flops, including ditching his long-held support for the Law of the Sea convention and telling bloggers he now opposes the DREAM Act to legalize illegal alien students. Washington Times: McCain caters to GOP voters

OBAMA, CLINTON SIMILAR ON MOST ISSUES: The Iraq war. Healthcare. Diplomacy. Iran. In the nine months since launching his insurgent campaign for president, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has seized on a slew of issues in trying to set himself apart from Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. But with Clinton's dominance unabated, there is little evidence Obama has made headway on any of them. Boston Globe: Obama's similarities to Clinton land him in a hard place

GIULIANI TOUGH ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Responsibility for stopping illegal immigration belongs to the federal government and not to cities, states or businesses, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday. Associated Press: Giuliani: Illegals are a federal problem

BIG DONORS PLAN MAJOR ADVERTISEMENT EFFORT FOR DEMS: The wealthy Democrats and giant organizations that spent $135 million to try and make John F. Kerry president in 2004 are reaching into their pockets for another round. Politico: Mega-donors prepare for '08 battle

RON PAUL TELLS LENO THERE'S "A RISK I COULD WIN": Rep. Ron Paul had 10 of his 15 minutes of fame this afternoon during the taping in Burbank of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," now a regular stop for political candidates. And he got several rounds of applause. They will echo out of television sets across the country's time zones all this evening as Americans climb into bed. LA Times: Ron Paul tucks America into bed tonight

ANTI-CLINTON VIDEO DRAWS OVER A MILLION WEB VIEWERS: First came the Orwellian mash up YouTube video that portrayed Hillary Rodham Clinton as Big Brother. Then came a clip of her off-key rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Now, a stinging 13-minute video by a bitter Clinton foe is finding its own Internet audience. Washington Examiner: Anti-Clinton video draws web audience

HUCKABEE DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM ARKANSAS MURDER CASE: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee distanced himself Tuesday from the case of an Arkansas man who killed a woman after being paroled for rape when Huckabee was the state's governor. Associated Press: Huckabee distances himself in Arkansas case

FORMER BUSH SPEECHWRITER TELLS ALL IN NEW BOOK: For Michael Gerson, the pattern became discouragingly familiar. A proposal to help the poor or sick would be presented at a White House meeting, but Vice President Cheney's office or the budget team or some other skeptical officials would shoot it down. Too expensive. Wrong priority. Washington Post: With Book, Gerson Is Back To Fight for GOP's Identity

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On the Trail:

Compiled by Katy Byron
CNN Washington Bureau

* Between town hall meetings in Peterborough and Manchester, New Hampshire, former Sen. John Edwards, D-North Carolina, will take a break and celebrate Halloween by taking his two young children trick-or-treating in Bedford.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, will return home to Chicago to take his daughters trick-or-treating.

* Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will visit with local residents at Bickford's Family Restaurant in Nashua, New Hampshire.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, takes a turn presenting his health care reform plan at the Presidential Candidate Forums event at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. McCain will take questions from a panel organized by Families USA and the Federation of American Hospitals.

* Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney returns to Iowa, a state the Republican continues to lead in the polls, to attend a "Romney for President" house party in Adel.

* Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson spends another day in California and heads to the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco for a press conference. Thompson is focusing on the region this week, because there are "a lot of local delegate seats up for grabs," a campaign aide told CNN.

"SEAN" I DO NOT watch FOX. I don't like it or any of the people on it! I only watch CNN. Lou Dobbs, Jack Cafferty, Wolf, sometimes Anderson Cooper, Tony Harris, sometimes Glenn Beck, Heidi Collins etc. If there is a war, I might watch it if they have better pictures on at the time.

You know what, whoever you are you can't even measure up to the people I've met in hospitals. Go laugh at the old time actress Judy Garland because they say along time ago she was in NY Hospital. Maybe some day one of your relatives will be in some hospital.

Okay. But I can name numerous people. I never said that anyone was cured from going to these places, I think that they are just places to put people when they don't know what to do with them. I even was friendly with a rn in HVSH and she put a little extra liquid in a shot for a woman who was acting up and told me that a little more wouldn't hurt her. One lady in Grasslands told me that she thought she was dying from the medications( I was a day patient at the time) and one morning I came in and they said she had died. They injected me once with this stuff and my body was stiffening up. The nurse called the doctor on duty and she told her to give me a little more. Thank God the nurse Patty Martin liked me (we became friends) and called the head of the hospital instead of listening to her and whoever that was told Patty to give me a shot of something that relaxed me. I don't trust hospitals, medicine or doctors. I have seen too much stuff going on.

It doesn't bother me that you leave these posts here, I am just wondering why you don't leave the Andrew Albanese one up. That can be verified all you have to do is get the records of the people who were there. I think most of its closed now, but I'm sure they have it on micro film. I have no reason to lie. Futhermore I really don't care about anything anymore.